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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2022-01-25 Euless ArticlesDISTRIBUTED TO: PAGE / OF�L_ MAYOR CITY CNCL CITYATTNY If. SUTTER CHF. BROWN IL CRANOR ANIMAL CNTR R. McDONALD M. WARRI,1 W. RHODES L. GETCHELL LIBRARYADNIIN LIBRARYREF G. HARTSELL C. BARKER DATE DISTRIBUTED / / `� DATE OFARTICLE / NEWSPAPER;/ �ICQM Jan. 12—Tarrant County reported 14 COVID-19 deaths and a pandemic -high 9,001 new cases on Wednesday. The latest COVID-related deaths include an Arlington man in his 40s, two Fort Worth women in their 50s, a Mansfield woman in her 50s, two Fort Worth men in their 60s, a Sansom Park woman in her 70s, a Grapevine man in his 70s, an Azle man in his 70s, a Colleyville woman in her 70s, a Euless woman in her 80s, a Fort Worth woman in her 80s, an Arlington woman in her 80s, and a Mansfield woman in her 80s. All 14 had underlying health conditions, according to officials. Tarrant County has reported 431,177 COVID-19 cases, including 5,099 deaths and an estimated 373,482 recoveries. Note to readers: Tarrant County does not release data on the vaccination status of recently diagnosed patients or deaths. Officials have released this type of data once in June and it showed that nearly 100% of the new cases reported at the time (from May to mid -June) were in people who were not vaccinated. Further, county officials said fewer than 200 of those new cases at the time were in previously vaccinated Tarrant residents. COVID-19 hospitalizations Hospitalized COVID patients increased by 172 to 1,354 in the latest seven-day moving average. The pandemic high was 1,528 on Jan. 6. DISTRIBUTED TO: PAGE OF MAYOR CITY CNCL CITYATTNY K. SUTTER CHF. BROWN IL CRANOR ANINIAL CNTR R. McDONALD M. WARRIX W. RHODES L. GETCHELL LIBRARYADMIN LIBRARYREF G. HARTSELL C. BARKER DATE DISTRIBUTED l / 0 "� DATE OF ARTICLE NEWSPAPER �,( COVID-19 hospitalizations increased to 30% from 27% of the total number of beds in Tarrant County and make up 34% of the 3,997 occupied beds. The rate was at a pandemic -high 38% on Jan. 10. Confirmed COVID patients increased to 22.53% from 21.25% of all available hospital beds in the North Central Texas Trauma Region, which includes 45 counties (divided into three regions). Hospital beds Tarrant County's hospital bed occupancy decreased to 89% from 90%, according to county data. Available hospital beds increased by 39 to 478. The pandemic low of 357 was reported Monday. ICU beds Adult ICU bed occupancy decreased to 95% from 97%. The rate was last at a pandemic -high 99% on Oct. 7. Ventilator use increased by two to 269. Patients are using 35% of the 760 ventilators in the county. Positivity rate The COVID-19 positive test rate for Tarrant County increased to a pandemic -high 39.66% from 39.32% in the latest available seven -day -average data. The rate has increased since Dec. 12. Vaccination data Children ages 5 and older are now eligible for vaccination, so the following vaccination percentages have been altered by the Texas Department of State Health Services to reflect that larger population. According to Texas DSHS, 66.68% of Tarrant County residents 5 or older have received at least one dose of the vaccine, and 58.35% of residents 5 or older have been fully vaccinated. DISTRIBUTED TO: PAGE OF MAYOR CITY CNCL CITYATTNY If. SUTTER CHE BROWN IL CRANOR ANIMAL CNTR R. McDONALD M. WARRIX W RHODES L. GETCHELL LIBRARYADMIN LIBRARYREF G. HARTSELL C. BARKER DATE DISTRIBUTED ' l l` DATE OFARTICLE NEWSPAPEO V S A �* DSHS also reports that 91.83% of Tarrant residents 65 or older have received at least one dose, and 84.25% of residents 65 or older have been fully vaccinated. More than 72.85% of Texas residents 5 or older have received at least one dose, according to DSHS. The rate of fully vaccinated Texas residents 5 or older is at 61.74%. Tarrant County is offering free COVID-19 vaccines and testing at locations throughout the area. Tarrant County COVID-19 deaths by city Here are the total pandemic -related deaths in Tarrant County by city through Jan. 12: — Benbrook, 74 — Fort Worth, 2,118 —Azle, 72 —Arlington, 964 Sansom Park, 44 — Watauga, 67 Forest Hill, 38 Mansfield, 196 — North Richland Hills, 180 Grand Prairie, 59 Southlake, 37 — Bedford, 147 — Haltom City, 129 Saginaw, 56 — Euless, 118 — Rural Tarrant County, 118 Crowley, 53 — Hurst, 117 — White Settlement, 99 Richland Hills, 47 — Grapevine, 94 Lake Worth, 28 River Oaks, 25 Colleyville, 24 Kennedale, 23 — Keller, 85 DISTRIBUTED TO: PAGE OF MAYOR CITY CNCL CITYATTNY K. SUTTER CHF. BROWN H. CRANOR ANIMAL CNTR R. MCDONALD M. WARRIX tip'. RHODES L. GETCHELL LIBRARYADMIN LIBRARYREF G. HARTSELL C. BARKER DATE DISTRIBUTED ' �DATEOFARTICLE NEWSPAPER Unknown, 6 Everman, 18 Lakeside, 5 Pelican Bay, 10 Dalworthington Gardens, 2 Westworth Village, 10 Flower Mound, 1 Blue Mound, 9 Haslet, 1 Burleson, 9 Edgecliff Village, 8 Pantego, 8 DISTRIBUTED TO: PAGE OF MAYOR CITY CNCL CITYATTNY If. SUTTER CHE BROWN H. CRANOR ANINIAL CNTR R. 1111cDONALD M. WARRIX W. RHODES L. GETCHELL LIBRARYADNIIN LIBRARYREF G. HARTSELL C. BARKER DATE DISTRIBUTED l � l DATE OFARTICLE NEWSPAPER 02YI 6t. _ I Ut� Where I Live: Texas man writes completely Euless essay January 15, 2022 1-71 LON KI Asdel is an engineer at Lockheed Martin and lives in Euless. (Alexis Allison I Fort Worth Report) By Andrew Asdel Euless. The neglected middle sibling of the HEB acronym (Hurst - Euless -Bedford) popular among locals. Ask a Realtor, and they are just as likely to categorize it as part of the "Grapevine -Euless area." Mention it to practically anyone from outside of the Mid -Cities, and they'll probably just respond with, "Where?" Or some variation of the profoundly original pun shamelessly exploited in the above title. But fear not, geographically challenged Texan! Allow me to make some introductions. If you consider yourself a legal geek, trivia fan, or ascribe to a Afro- Cuban folk religion, you may be interested to know that a Euless resident and Santeria priest won a lawsuit against the city not long ago in Merced v. Kasson, and declared "Sic semper Tarrant -is!" (according to some). The landmark 2oog ruling ordered that Mr. Merced could continue conducting ritual animal sacrifices in his home temple, thus DISTRIBUTED TO: PAGE OF MAYOR CITYCNCL CITYATTNY K. SUTTER CHE BROWN IL CRANOR ANIMAL CNTR R. McDONALD 111. WARRIX W. RHODES L. GETCHELL LIBRARYADMIN LIBRARYREF G. HARTSELL C. BARKER L � I I DATE DISTRIBUTED l l l A S_ l4� DATE OFARTICLE � � l � � NEWSPAPER JW A d_. i guaranteeing the religious liberty of certain pantheists, while striking j fatal blows to (literally) bleeding-heart goats everywhere. j Geographically, the city of Euless is situated in the northeast portion of Tarrant County. By car, it takes about 25 minutes to get to the center of Dallas and roughly the same amount of time to reach the center of Fort Worth. However due to some very clever boundary drawing, we actually share a boundary with the city of Fort Worth along our southern extremity. Our western boundary touches Bedford, as well as Colleyville and Hurst to a smaller extent, while our easterly neighbor also happens to be the second-largest_ air port in the United States. Glade Road marks the boundary between Euless and Grapevine to the north, and it's a good thing, too, or you could be forgiven for not being able to tell them apart, given the current state of Grapevine's vineyards. This area is serviced by State Highway 121, and for these reasons, our northernmost neighborhood is sometimes called Glade 121. Glade 121 also happens to be the neighborhood I call home, and what a neighborhood it is! Any kind of retailer or restaurant one could reasonably want can be reached within a lo-minute drive. There is also thoughtfully constructed infrastructure for residents such as myself who prefer to get around on two wheels. Just to our north, there is a paved bike and walking path that offers easy access to parks and sports fields. Follow this trail farther north, and it connects to a much longer trail that parallels the TEXRail tracks clear from North Richland Hills to downtown Grapevine, with its many offerings. The informal southern boundary of Glade 121 is formed by the string of city parks along the banks of Little Bear Creek, which include sports facilities, picnic areas, wildflowers, a dog park and more. This string of parks is connected by yet another bike and pedestrian path that runs east -to -west, offering safe passage under Highway 121 and access to the many establishments on the other side. This neighborhood also offers economic access, with everything from apartments and duplexes to larger single-family homes and everything DISTRIBUTED TO: 1 PAGE OF MAYOR CITY CNCL CITYATTNY K. SUTTER CHF. BROTT'N H. CRANOR ANIAIAL CNTR R. MCDONALD M. WARRIX W. RHODES L. GETCHELL LIBRARYADMIN LIBRARYREF G. HARTSELL C4wir1I,11119N DATE DISTRIB UTED NEWSPAPER 1�hj Y�r cz in between. It is a great place for seniors, families or even first-time home buyers like myself. We have Lowe's, Chipotle and other suburban staples, but also mom-and-pop shops like the one operated by my favorite barber, Ann. Many of my neighbors purchased their houses when they were first built in the early 198os. When children came, they stayed for the quality schools. When the children grew into adults, parents remained for the quality community, and some of those children have bought their own homes here for the same reasons. It's the kind of place where neighbors exchange Christmas cookies and salsa made from home-grown chili peppers. DATE OFARTICLE //.s l,Q a Considering I moved to Euless and Glade 121 just last summer, I was unfortunately 110 years too late to have the pleasure of knowing the city's namesake, Mr. Elisha Adam Euless. Like the rock band Sublime, I don't practice Santeria or have a crystal ball. Yet in the short time I have lived here, Euless has earned a place as central to my heart as it is to Dallas and Fort Worth. Euless Total population: 55,763 Female: 51% 1 Male: 49% Age 0-9: 13 % 10-19: 12% 20-29: 14% 30-39: 18% 40-49: 14% 50-59: 13% 6o-69: lo% 70-79: 5% 8o and older: 2% Education No degree: lo% High school: 21% DISTRIBUTED TO: PAGE —1 OF 7 MAYOR CITY CNCL CITYATTNY If. SUTTER CHF. BROWN H. CRANOR R. McDONALD M. WARRIX W. RHODES L. GETCHELL LIBRARYADMIN C. BA RICER DA TE DISTRIB UTED , (`5q S l `'? `� Some college: 33 % Bachelor's degree: 23 % Post -graduate: 13% ANIMAL CNTR LIBRARYREF G. HARTSELL DATE OFARTICLE l l (� `� NEWSPAPER ZZ ) 2� Race White: 50% 1 Hispanic: 21% 1 Asian: 12% 1 Black: 12% 1 Two or more: 3% 1 1% Islander Click on the link to view the schools' Texas Education Agency ratings: Bear Creek Elementary Lakewood Elementary Grapevine Elementary Colleyville Heritage High School Heritage Middle School Heritage Elementary North Euless Elementary Harwood Junior High Andrew Asdel lives in Euless with Rosie, his pet robotic vacuum. A Lockheed Martin engineer (and occasionally pilot) by trade, he is sometimes described as an "unhinged political moderate." In his free time, Andrew can be found pedaling his steed across the plains, picking fights on behalf of wind turbines or ranting about the benefits of fluoride. DISTRIBUTED TO: PAGE ' OF d' MAYOR CITY CNCL CITYATTNY SUTTER BROWN CRANOR ANIMAL CNTR McDONALD COLLINS W. RHODES GETCHELL LIBRARYADMIN LIBRARYREF HARTSELL BARKER DATE DISTRIBUTED l a I a DATE OFARTICLE � / l � ` NEWSPAPER DMN `You're afraid for your family': North Texas Tongans worry, pray after volcano eruption Euless is home to thousands from the Pacific Island nation, where a massive volcano exploded, causing shockwaves halfway around the world. This satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies shows an overview of Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha'apai volcano in Tonga on Dec. 24, 2021. Three of Tonga's smaller islands suffered serious damage from tsunami waves, officials and the Red Cross said Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2022, as a wider picture begins to emerge of the damage caused by the eruption of an undersea volcano near the Pacific archipelago nation. (Satellite image ©2022 Maxar Technologies via AR File) (Uncredited / ASSOCIATED PRESS) By Hojun Choi 6:46 PM on Jan 19, 2022 Listen to this article now Okoll 04:29 Powered by Trinity Audio DISTRIBUTED TO: PAGE OF MAYOR CITY CNCL CITYATTNY SUTTER BROWN CRANOR ANIMAL CNTR N1cDONALD COLLINS W. RHODES GETCHELL LIBRARYADMIN LIBRARYREF HARTSELL BARKER j DATE DISTRIBUTED l l l DATE OF ARTICLE l /�i NEWSPAPER DNIN When asked about his family heritage, Arona Finau said he sometimes jokingly tells people that he's from Hawaii. "Nobody knows what Tonga is," says the 54-year-old Tongan pastor and Euless resident. "It's a small dot in the Pacific [ocean]." That changed on Saturday, Finau said, when an underwater volcano on one of the country's islands erupted, sending shockwaves thousands of miles away and triggering tsunami warnings in Japan and Hawaii. ............................................. He had feared the worst when he first heard news about the volcanic eruption — caught on satellite. Although he and others are concerned for Tonga and the people who live there, he said the community is "rallying around and comforting each other through prayer." The country is now completely disconnected from the world because of a fiber- optic cable that was damaged in the blast. Though information is scarce, the most recent reports say that at least three people died after a 50-feet tsunami hit smaller islands near the explosion, according to various media reports. "There are hurricanes, earthquakes, volcanoes," Finau said. "It's just another day at the office." A community in waiting Finau said he moved to North Texas in 2013 because of the sizable Tongan ........................................................ community in Euless, which has been growing since the mid-19�7os. ....... ................................................................................ Though exact numbers are not available, people in Euless' Tongan community estimate that more than 5,000 come from the Pacific Island. DISTRIBUTED TO: PAGE OF MAYOR CITYCNCL CITYATTNY SUTTER BROWN CRANOR ANIMAL CNTR McDONALD COLLINS W. RHODES GETCHELL LIBRARYADMIN LIBRARYREF HARTSELL BARKER DATE DISTRIB UTED DATE OFARTICLE I /; C.> l � NEWSPAPER DMN Viliami Asaeli, 54, was in Missouri grabbing dinner with his son during a college visit he saw the news reports from the Polynesian island north of the New Zealand coast. He lost his appetite and could not think of what to do other than to drop to his knees and pray, he said. Asaeli was six years old when his family moved from Tonga to the United States. He and his family now live in Euless, about 20 miles northwest of Dallas. Asaeli, like Finau, said he feared the worst. The news and social media posts showing satellite images of the event showed the nation completely covered by ash and molten rock. When he learned that communication to the island nation had been cut off, he said the feeling of isolation started to sink in. He began worrying about his uncle, aunt and cousins who still live in Tonga. "You see how tsunamis have affected places like Japan, so you think Tonga — this small island — might be covered completely underwater," he said. As news about the death toll and damage trickled into his social media feed and onto his television screen, Asaeli said he felt pain for the people who were impacted. But he also thanked God that the damage was not worse. Asaeli, who attends the Tongan First United Methodist Church in Euless, described the Tongan spirit as a proud one that embraces family and community. He said his church, as well as about a dozen other Tongan churches in North Texas, are coming together to support one another as they wait for more details. DISTRIBUTED TO: PAGE OF MAYOR CITYCNCL CITYATTNY SUTTER FREEMAN BROWN CRANOR ANIMAL CNTR McDONALD COLLINS W. RHODES GETCHELL LIBRARYADMIN LIBRARYREF HARTSELL BARKER DATE DISTRIBUTED DATE OFARTICLE l (� NEWSPAPER DNIN "When it hits, it hits' Churches are a major fabric of the Tongan American life in Euless, said Ofa Faiva- Siale, who sits on the Euless Tongan Community Committee, which works with city officials to address the needs of her community. Euless city officials had reached out to show their support for the local Tongan community, Faiva-Siale said. Although it's natural for people to panic and despair after a disaster, Faiva-Siale also said many Tongans have a humble respect for nature that is ingrained into their culture. What the unforgiving nature of the oceans has taught her people, she said, is to find ways to be thankful — even during major disasters such as Saturday's eruption. "You're afraid for your family and other people, so you protect each other," she said. "When it hits, it hits, and afterwards there is immediate joy in things that were left behind and the lives that were spared." f ►�� $ Hojun Choi, Breaking News reporter ►::1 hojun.choi@dallasnews.com # @hinchoi DISTRIBUTED TO: PAGE / OF ]MAYOR CITYCNCL CITYATTNY If. SUTTER CHE BROWN IL CRANOR ANIMAL CNTR R. McDONALD M. WARRIX W. RHODES L. GETCHELL LIBRARYADJVIIN LIBRARYREF G. HARTSELL C. BARKER DATE DISTRIBUTED � DATE OFARTICLE l /2 242,0 2 NEWSPAPER �� Fort Worth Star -Telegram NORTHEAST TARRANT `It was raining rocks.' Tonga volcano eruption hits home for this community in Euless BY ELIZABETH CAMPBELL UPDATED JANUARY 22, 2022 3:59 PM V f u & In this photo provided by Broadcom Broadcasting, people clear debris off the street in Nuku'alofa, Tonga on Thursday following Saturday's 8 DISTRIBUTED TO: PAGE OF MAYOR CITY CNCL CITYATTNY K SUTTER CHE BROWN H. CRANOR ANIMAL CNTR R. McDONALD M. WARRIX W. RHODES L. GETCHELL LIBRARYADMIN LIBRARYREF G. HARTSELL C. BARKER ` DATE DISTRIB UTED �`� 4 DATE OF ARTICLE /� r/ " NEWSPAPER !" / Only have a minute? Listen instead -03:09 Powered by Trinity Audio Viliami Asaeli is part of a large Tongan community who call Euless home. Euless has one of the largest Tongan communities in the world living outside of the island nation off of the New Zealand coast. Asaeli estimated that around 5,000 Tongans live in Euless. Many of the Tongans who now live in Euless trace their history back to the 1970s and 1980s when their families came to work at Dallas/Fort Worth Airport. Asaeli said he was born in Tonga but came to Euless in 1984. He works for Envoy, a subsidiary of American Airlines. Although Texas is home, Asaeli and others are desperate for any news about their loved ones after an undersea volcano erupted, covering the islands in ash and cutting off most communication with the rest of the world. "I saw news coming across on Facebook, and I got calls from my wife. The communication went down almost immediately. That immediately put us in a zombie -type state. You don't know what's going on. There was no news coming in, and all we saw were the before pictures and satellite images after the volcano erupted," he said. DISTRIBUTED TO: PAGE OF MAYOR CITYCNCL CITYATTNY K SUTTER CHE BROWN H. CRANOR ANIMAL CNTR R. McDONALD M. WARRIX W. RHODES L. GETCHELL LIBRARYADMIN LIBRARYREF G. HARTSELL C. BARKER f "" DATEDISTRIBUTED l r DATE OFARTI N WSt ERLE C E AP ! Asaeli said he is fortunate that his parents also live in Euless, but he hasn't heard from aunts, uncles and cousins in Tonga. Faith and prayer are holding the community together, he said. He described attending prayer vigils for Tonga on Facebook and Zoom. Asaeli is the first vice chair of the Euless Tongan Community Committee, and he is asking people to donate to the Red Cross and to UNICEF. The committee is monitoring the news about the assistance that will be needed. Ofa Faiva-Siale, who came to the U.S. when she was 9, said Tonga is used to natural disasters such as tsunamis and earthquakes but nothing on the scale of the volcanic eruption. "This volcano is very different. On the day of the eruption, it was raining rocks. We've never known anything like that," she said. Her ancestors passsed down stories, and she said there were never descriptions of volcanos erupting like what she saw in photos. Faiva-Siale, who is assistant to the emergency management coordinator in Euless, said it is frustrating that she can't communicate with her family. Tongans use Facebook to communicate with their relatives. Everyone is monitoring news outlets from New Zealand and Austrailia, she said. Like Asaeli, Faiva-Siale is relying on her strong faith and prayer. She also has faith in the resilience of her people. "The way people are there, you share what you have, no matter how little you have. They will help each other, and homes will be rebuilt," she said. Faiva-siale traveled to Tonga every year before the COVID-19 pandemic. But the country has been on lock -down since March of 2020, she said. Faiva-Siale is grateful for the outpouring of support from school officials and state representatives. "We have our faith, and we are a tight -knit community," she said. This story was originally published January 21, 2022 10:56 AM.